With more insects in one square mile of urban land than there are
human beings on earth…is it a wonder you may all well ask…is it a
wonder that we make so many pieces of jewelry in the form of bugs?

Ladybugs…also sometimes called “ladybirds”…which can bring up
questions as to why some folks name their women that way…are said to
bring good luck when they alight on your hand. To kill a ladybug is
not only bad form…but it will most assuredly also bring you bad
luck. In Germany…the ladybug is called a “marienkafer”, or…quite
pleasantly…a merry beetle. Is it a wonder then that there is so much
jewelry made in one manner or another of a Lady Bug?

The ladybug–in some circles–is believed to have been blessed by God
himself…and there are societies on this earth that believe the
ladybug understands human language.

Ladybug or Lady Bug…is it the same thing? Well…yes…and no. Be
that as it may…do you all remember that little poem that went:
Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home/Your house is on fire and your
children are gone. The reason for that folks is this: If you catch a
Ladybug in your hand and then it flies away…the direction in which
it flies is the direction from which a lover will come. An important
time-saving bit of for those with busy schedules and
little time to scavenge about while hunting for a tryst.

Do you know how many jewelers have made Ladybugs and Lady Bugs over
the year? Do you know where to get a Ladybug piece of jewelry? In
Burgundy the black dots on the back of a ladybug indicate to its
holder–should she be a woman–how many children she will have. I
accept these bits of lore as facts for there are many more things in
this world I don’t know than I do know. This, of course, aside from
the fact that I’ve never seen a ladybug with one dot or a woman with
twenty children. What’s the maximum amount of dots on a ladybug’s
back…does anyone know?

In England…ladybugs indicate happy months to follow. In Norse
legend…the ladybug came to earth on a bolt of lightning. In American
lore…if a ladybug alights on your hand…new gloves will soon
follow. If the little creature alights on your dress… you will soon
have a new dress. On your hat…a new hat. And so on and so forth. Is
it a wonder then…I ask you…that jewelers of the world have made so
many Ladybugs and Lady Bugs.

I have a little Triptych with three Ladybug/Lady Bug creatures. They
are labeled A and B and C. “A” is a French creation…circa
1902…which presently resides in Darmstadt, Germany. “C” are a pair of
Cartier earrings created circa 1936. And “B” is an item --circa
2000–presently appearing on the Tyler Adam site in the “Elite
Designs” section available from our home page. Full description is
included with the graphic.

For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the table menu till you get to the box that says
Tidbits…and inside the box where it says Tidbit Graphics…click on
the link that says: Ladybug…where you will see a rendering of the
ABC’s of the Lady Bug Triptych.

And there ya have it. That’s it for this week folks. Catch you all next
week. Benjamin Mark